LE MANS, France, 20 June 2005 — Dane Tom Kristensen made history at Le Mans when he clinched a record seventh win in the motor racing classic in searing heat yesteday.
Kristensen, sharing with German Marco Werner and Finn JJ Lehto in an Audi R8, beat the previous record of six wins set by Belgian Jacky Ickx between 1969 and 1982.
The 37-year-old won the world’s most famous endurance race at his first attempt in 1997 and every year from 2000.
A Pescarolo driven by Frenchmen Eric Comas, Emmanuel Collard and Jean-Christophe Boullion finished second two laps behind. Another Audi R8 with Briton Allan McNish, German Frank Biela and Italian Emanuele Pirro sharing the wheel came home third, six laps off the pace.
German car maker Audi has now won at Le Mans five times in the last six years.
The two Pescarolo cars set the early pace but both suffered from mechanical failure and one crashed out. Heavier and less powerful than the Pescarolo prototypes, the Audis once again lived up to their reputation for being extremely reliable.
Particularly tough on cars and men in any conditions, the race was made even more challenging this year by temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius.
